By Guyson Nanagayi – Lusaka – AFP- Zambian government has relocated more than 1 500 DRC refugees back to their country after the closure of a camp, the United Nations refugee agency said on Wednesday. “A total of 1 555 Congolese refuges have been relocated from Mwange and Kala to Maheba in the Northwestern province,” UNHCR programme officer Robert Taban said in a statement. This is the final year of a voluntary repatriation programme launched in 2007 to encourage Congolese refugees in Zambia to return to the DRC. So far 40 000 of them have heeded the call according to... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Thursday, September 30th 2010 |
By Guyson Nanagayi – LUSAKA (AFP) – Zambian government is planning to close two camps for refugees from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo over the next month which holds over 40,000 people , UN refugee agency said Thursday. Kala camp in north Zambia is scheduled to close on Tuesday while the nearby Mwange camp would be closed by the end of October, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement. “A total of 40,000 Congolese refugees have been repatriated from Zambia since 2007,” UNHCR official Phillipe Creppy said. “UNHCR and other partners feel the milestone has been... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Friday, September 24th 2010 |
BY NANGAY GUYSON IN KAMPALA UGANDA – President Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo has issued a ban on Mining in three provinces of eastern Congo saying is controlled by mafias. The ban comes after his recent visit to the mining hub town of Walikale and said he wanted to weed out what he called a “kind of mafia” involved in the mining industry. Control over mining minerals like coltan and cassiterite has fuelled conflict between rebel groups. The minerals are used in mobile phones and computers. The ban covers the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema.... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Saturday, September 11th 2010 |
BY NANGAYI GUYSON – A UN official Atul Khare told the Security Council that the scale of systematic rape by armed rebels was far worse than feared and UN “failed” the victims of mass rape in eastern DR Congo. Atul Khare “Our actions were not adequate, resulting in acceptable brutalisation of the population of the villages in the area. We must do better.” Night patrols . Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. He said that up to 500 women and children were now believed raped in recent weeks – more than double the previously reported figure. He... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Wednesday, September 8th 2010 |
Rwanda’s President Kagame BY NANGAYI GUYSON – KIGALI (AFP) – General Ban Ki-moon is in Rwanda over a major dispute leaked to UN report on war crimes allegedly committed by Rwanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda’s President Kagame UN report accused Rwandan troops and their allies of staging genocide style massacres of civilians in DR Congo in 1996-97 but Rwanda denies the allegations has threatened to pull its troops out of international peacekeeping missions. A spokesman at the United Nations headquarters said Ban had arrived in the Rwandan capital for the unannounced visit and would hold talks with... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Wednesday, September 8th 2010 |
